The Trust is pleased to welcome Julie Jacobs, Psy.D., JD, and Leisl M. Bryant, Ph.D., ABPP to its team of risk management consultants. Through The Trust Practice and Risk Management Association (TrustPARMA) and The Trust’s Advocate 800 Service, Drs. Jacobs and Bryant will provide ethics and risk management consultations to psychologists insured through The Trust Sponsored Professional Liability Insurance Program. They will also be available to present workshops, webinars, and other educational content related to professional psychology.

Dr. Jacobs is a licensed psychologist and attorney who practices in mental health provider law. She received her B.S. cum laude in Psychology from the University of Florida and her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology. Prior to attending law school, Dr. Jacobs practiced for 12 years as a clinical psychologist in a variety of settings, including private practice, college counseling centers, and the United States Air Force. Several years ago, she decided to change the path of her career and focus on helping mental health providers understand the interaction between law and mental health practice. This decision brought her to Boulder, where she obtained her J.D. at the University of Colorado Law School (ranking in the top 6% of her graduating class).

Dr. Jacobs uses her own experiences as the basis for understanding the needs of her clients, particularly in mental health provider law. Her focus is on optimizing the work of mental health providers by addressing issues of risk management, ethical decision-making, and licensure defense. She currently works as an attorney in Boulder, Colorado, and is developing a practice focused on the needs of mental health providers. Dr. Jacobs has served on the Colorado Psychological Association Board of Directors since August 2015, and as the Chair of the Colorado Psychological Association Legislative Committee since July 2016. She also offers educational programs for mental health providers on a variety of topics related to mental health practice and law.

Dr. Bryant is a licensed New Hampshire and Massachusetts-based clinical and forensic psychologist, with board certification in Forensic Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. She received her B.A. from the University of West Florida, her M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Duquesne University, and completed a forensic postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Medical School Law and Psychiatry Program.

Working in both criminal and civil arenas, Dr. Bryant has maintained a private practice in clinical and forensic psychology for the past 13 years. Prior to this, she provided psychological services and trained in a variety of forensic and therapeutic settings, including Bridgewater State Hospital in Bridgewater, MA; multiple Department of Mental Health hospitals and court clinics throughout MA; the Tri-County Forensic Mental Health Team in upstate New York; Wyoming State Hospital in Evanston, WY; and several academic and government institutions in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Bryant is a Fellow with the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, and formerly served as President and Executive Director of the New Hampshire Psychological Association (NHPA). She also served on the NHPA Ethics Committee for over ten years, received the Margaret M. Riggs Award for Distinguished Contribution to Psychology in the State of New Hampshire, and was awarded the Karl F. Heiser APA Presidential Award for Advocacy. Dr. Bryant brings extensive experience in forensic, clinical, and ethical consultation, academic instruction, and professional presentation to her role on the risk management team.

Drs. Jacobs and Bryant join Amanda Zelechoski, J.D., Ph.D., ABPP; Joe Scroppo, Ph.D., J.D.; and Daniel O. Taube, J.D., Ph.D. – the team providing the excellent content and services which have always been a part of The Trust Practice and Risk Management Association’s Risk Management Program.